ACNL: The Mayor's Diary
by Ami.Bel
Summary: The diary of a mayor trying to do the best for her town. The story follows a new mayor, unsure of her capabilities, from her inauguration all the way to her first anniversary. Given the nature of ACNL being a kid's game, few if any adult themes (suggested mental health issues) will be present.
1. Chapter 1

January 17th. 

When I was a child, I loved to read. I loved to daydream. I loved to create worlds and stories about the people who lived in them. I was a 'bright' child, my mother would say. I was 'very smart for my age'. I was 'well-read'. I 'loved to learn'. This is how she would introduce me to others.

But something changed.

While I was... enthusiastic about school, I was never 'good at it'. The older I got, the more apparent this became. In elementary school, I was rambunctious but pleasant. In junior high, my grades were barely passable. In high school, they were abysmal. Tutors were a short-term solution. I would forget what they taught me as soon as the topic of discussion changed. Counselors, therapists, and child psychologists couldn't find anything wrong with me. I just wasn't 'fit', they supposed.

I was no longer the 'bright' child that my mother spoke of with pride. My hobbies were no longer celebrated... My daydreaming and story-telling weren't markers of my intellectual curiosity. Instead I 'wasn't concentrating'. I 'wasn't focused'. I was 'wasting my time'.

I was stupid, and lazy, and childish.

I didn't want to be those things so I did what I was expected to do, what I was told I was supposed to do. I studied hard material I didn't even understand. I cut myself from the childish things that made me happy. I made myself miserable because it what I was supposed to do to succeed. It took everything in me just to scrape by.

There was a relief that came with going to college. My mother was proud of me again, despite my records. Now it was all on the possibility of the future, of graduating with a degree and working towards a respectable career. If there was any breathing room to be had, I never felt it. My anxiety fed itself on the pressure, fear, and guilt of my every failure. Every sleepless night spent finishing an assignment only for it to return with red marks. Every single digit score on tests. Every frustrated and bewildered look from the professors who insisted I wasn't working hard enough.

How had I endured? I couldn't remember. Was it Monday or still late in the week? I couldn't tell. Time no longer held any meaning to me. The only proof of its passing was disappointment after disappointment. When I could no longer bear it, I admit I might've taken drastic measures.

I was forced to return home on a doctor's orders. What sent me there was never to be mentioned. My mother felt remorseful cozied up to me like never before. I was given gifts of my favorite candy and dinner was my favorite food 'just because'. I was invited out to go shopping and to the movies 'just because'. I was reminded of the stories and drawings I created as a child that she 'just so happened to come across'. Maybe she truly did have good intentions but my skepticism decided she was somehow trying to bribe me away from trying again.

If I have never mentioned my father before, then you already have a good idea of our relationship. My flights of fancy meant I would never be his favorite child, but as a dutiful man, I was his child nonetheless. Returning home as I had, a failure, now made me little more than a ghost that so happened to reside there. We spoke hardly, by which I mean I greeted him as we passed and he pretended not to hear me.

Despite my mother's best efforts, my happiness didn't magically reappear bringing my self-worth with it. If nothing else, the one lesson I did learn was that I had to earn it, that happiness was 'deserved'. I made up how I felt I could. I washed dishes, I vacuumed, I cooked meals, I did laundry. I made myself a maid and it still wasn't enough. My mother never failed to remind me how I 'was meant to do so much more'.

My father didn't agree with her so much as it was his only way of thinking. I would not 'end' a failure as he saw it.

"Anise. Come here."

When I heard him call my name after dinner, I was immediately wary. When he invited me to sit down, I knew it was useless to try and brace myself for whatever he was going to say. A smile was on my face but my heart was in my throat. My mom came rushing in and stood over his shoulder. She too knew well that whatever was happening wasn't good.

He slid a pamphlet across the table to me and wasted no time.

"I've arranged a job for you. You'll be an mayoral administrative aid. You can do that much, can't you?"

"I-I can," I stammered.

Of course I couldn't. I knew nothing about how a local government operated and I had absolutely zero experience. As my brain went on auto-pilot, I held the pamphlet tight enough to crumple the edges. 'New Leaf', it said. Strange name for a town. It had large glossy photos of beautiful scenery such as a heavily wooded forests, colorful wild flowers, and sandy beaches. Was it resort town? Was it really job or was I being sent away for 'rehabilitation' like an old-timey tuberculosis patient?

"Good. You'll be arriving their by train-"

"Wait a minute!" My increasing panic emboldened me to cut him off. "But... I live here. I mean, I have things that I do here."

"What do you do all day," he asked flatly.

I knew by his tone he already didn't like my answer.

"I help around the house. I cook and I clean-"

"Are you a maid," he argued back. "I don't remember hiring one and I didn't send you to school to become one either."

"What he means to say is," my mother interrupted, giving my father a testy look. "We appreciate your help but sweetie, you could do so more than this. You're smart, we know you can."

Funny, I wasn't smart when I was failing all my classes. Am I only smart to her when it's convenient or is she outright lying?

"You dropped out of school," my father continued. "You don't have a plan for future. You're here and you do nothing all day. I have enough burdens as it is."

I nearly tore the pamphlet for how tight I was holding it. I folded it back up and put it back on the table as the word positioned itself like a boulder on my back. I was a burden to my parents.

"I don't need you adding to them. I highly suggest you take this job."

It wasn't a suggestion at all, I knew that much. It was a demand.

It was how I ended up standing on a train platform with a single suitcase in one hand and a ticket for 'New Leaf' in the other. I was alone not because my parents didn't want to see me off but because I insisted I'd be fine on my own. The other reason was because I assumed it was still early enough in the morning that very few people would be commuting at this time.

"Miss?"

I was approached one of the porters. He was a handsome brown-skinned gentleman in a sharp blue uniform with gold buttons and trim. He tipped his hat to me and gave a wide smile that lit up his eyes and made me smile back. My grandfather was a train porter and I admit, I couldn't see them as anything but earnest men.

"New Leaf," he asked, pointing at my ticket.

"Yes, Sir," I answered.

"Porter, Ma'am."

"Excuse me?"

He pointed to the gold bar on his left breast pocket, "my name's Porter. Can I take your luggage for you?"

"Oh! Yes, I'm so sorry. Thank you."

I was red at how disrespectful my stupidity made me out to be. I thought he had been saying his job. But it was an uncanny coincidence that it was both his job title and his name.

He took it in stride with a laugh and his ever present smile. I handed him my luggage and followed him onto the train. The cut of his suit fit him well, but lifting heavy luggage all day, every day wasn't a job for the weak to be sure. I couldn't help but think that even the back of his neck was handsome, although his ears were a bit a big. Maybe he just hadn't grown into them yet. He was a young man still, after all.

He put my luggage in the overhead compartment and gestured to my seat.

"Anything else you need, Ma'am?"

"No, but thank you."

"The train will be departing shortly so please sit back and enjoy your time."

"Thank you."

He gave a little bow of his head and left. There was a lilt to his speech, a bright rise and fall of a song in his voice that made him pleasant to listen to. 'What a nice young man,' I thought for the first time in my life, sounding like somebody's grandmother to be sure.

I sighed and let my body sink into the plush train seats. I stared at the window but truly saw nothing. I wasn't really interested in the sights. My mind was on what I was going to do when I got to town. I had to pull myself together. I knew how to type, so there was that. I could take dictation pretty well, I supposed. I could answer phones. I could keep the office clean. I couldn't keep myself from crying. I wiped my tears just as the train started moving.

"You'll be fine," I whispered to myself. "You'll be fine. There's no need to cry."

My self-soothing only made me cry more at the pitiful fact that I was soothing myself because I had no one else to do so. At least I was alone on the train where no one could see.

"Are you alright?"

Or so I thought, damn it.

"I'm just fine."

Through my blurred vision, I saw a tissue being held out to me from someone in a red argyle sweater. I took it and dabbed my eyes gently. I didn't want them to think I was gross. The witness took a seat in the chair across from me. I smiled as if it had only been some trivial matter. Now with my vision cleared, I wondered if I hadn't fully lost my mind.

Cat ears. A blue-haired man with red eyes, black slit pupils, and blue cat ears. Now these weren't cat ears on a headband or the fancy ones that moved electronically. These were genuine cat ears.

"I'm glad you seem alright now."

His grin showed off sharper incisors than the average human. Cat teeth too? I thought stress usually led to heart attacks but no, I get to see cat people. I guess I'd rather hallucinate than have a heart attack.

"If you want to talk about it, I'll listen," he offered politely.

I didn't know where to look. I cleared my throat. Maybe he was just a rich eccentric who loved cats. That was fine.

"I was just... feeling a little bit anxious. I'm alright now."

"I see... Wait, don't tell me anymore," he said, suddenly putting his hand up. "Let me guess."

"Oh okay..."

I still couldn't stop looking at his ears. They had skin. Like actual skin and the inside was translucent enough to see veins like a real cat. Were they surgically attached to his head? I didn't see any human ears on him but maybe they were hidden under his hair. And his eyes! Instead of glancing from one side or the other like a human being, his eyes remained forward as he turned his head this way and that. He looked back at me again and I smiled wider in desperation.

"You're starting a new job in a new city, aren't you?"

How was I supposed to answer that?! Would he stalk me if I said yes? Would he be angry if I said no?

"How'd you guess?"

He smiled so wide that his eyes closed. He looked almost like a sleeping cat. It was cute...

"You're all dressed up like you're going to a job interview and your luggage is overhead. So..." he shrugged. "Moving to a new city sounds pretty exciting. Might I ask where?"

"Uh, to New Leaf," I said, holding up the ticket. "I've never been so I don't know exactly where yet."

Yes, I chided myself, let's give out too much information to a stranger just because he's a cat.

"New Leaf, huh?"

His tail started to twitch excitedly upon hearing this. Wait, tail!? No, my eyes weren't lying to me. Or at least my hallucination was thorough. It was a long furry blue tail with a white tip.

"Hey, I got a friend there! I'll tell him to hook you up with a place to stay!"

What kind of friends would a genetically mutated cat/human hybrid have!?

"Oh no, that's okay! You don't have to trouble yourself."

Please don't trouble yourself, cat-man.

"It's no trouble at all," he said waving me off.

I wondered if his nails were retractable like cats as well.

"Uhm, I'm sorry but if I may ask you one thing?"

"Hmm?"

I had finally worked up the courage to ask him about his weird look when he tilted his head. I had a weakness to fluffy things and cats were no exception. Without thinking, I reached my hands out and grabbed his ears. I ran my fingers along the base trying to find where I thought the seams would be. Where were the seams? I didn't even feel any surgical scars!

"Nyah~!?"

This didn't seem to be a bad thing to my weird new friend as he purred.

"Uhm," he spoke meekly for the first time since I met him. "That feels nice but could you please stop? In public.. It's kinda.. embarrassing."

"I'm sorry!"

Understanding those implications right away, I immediately backed off. He was blushing and his tail was listlessly wagging up and down.

"So you like cats," I nearly shouted in my nervous attempt to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.

"Well, yeah," he answered. "I am a cat! The name's Rover. Oh!"

He slammed his palm.. or paw? It looked like a human hand so I'm going to say palm, to his forehead.

"All this time we've been chatting and I haven't asked you your name!"

"I'm Anise. Uhm... I'm a human."

"Of course you are," he laughed. "I could tell right away!"

So he was a real cat... person. But how could that even be?

"Attention all passengers."

I looked ahead to see Porter standing at the front of the car and looking in my direction as he made an announcement.

"Next stop is New Leaf Station! I repeat, we are now arriving in New Leaf."

"Oh, that's you! Well I guess we say goodbye. Anise, I hope you have tons of fun in your happy, new town!"

"Ma'am, is this cat bothering you?"

Porter looked at Rover with a cheeky smile. So these two new each other. Maybe that's why he was so calm, he was used to it.

"Huh," Rover whined. "A bother? No way! I'm just having a friendly chat to pass the time! You guys need to install televisions in the head rests or something."

Porter ignored him as a minor annoyance and turned his attention to me.

"Shall I take your bag?"

"Sure, thank you," I answered.

I said my farewells to Rover and followed Porter to the end of the car. I held onto the railing as we waited for the train to come to a full stop. I sighed, still lamenting my uncertain future. For better or for worse, New Leaf, here I am.


	2. Chapter 2

January 18th

I followed Porter off the train and thanked him for helping me with my luggage.

"Not a problem, Ma'am. I've been assigned here as a station attendant, so if you ever need anything, please stop by the ticket office."

He bowed and walked away towards the office at the far end of the platform. I let my eyes linger a moment longer. I meant to look at the floor but coming from his tail bone, well, there was a tail. It wasn't a cat's tail or a dog's tail, but it was a tail!

I was firmly convinced I was just hallucinating. Porter was a nice young man and a human being. He hadn't shown one weird trait at all during our entire ride. I would have noticed something like this before, wouldn't I? Trying not to arouse suspicion, I quickly ran up behind him, grabbed it, and pulled.

"EEK!?"

He snatched the tail out of my hands and let out an piercing shriek that made me jump back for fear of my safety. It didn't come off... But more than that, he sounded as if I had really hurt him. He turned to look at me, struggling to keep his customer service smile. His teeth hadn't always been that sharp, had they?

"Ma'am," he began. "Can I... help you?"

I knew that tone. I was now the crappy customer he didn't want to deal with but was forced to be polite to because company policy came first. I didn't mean to become that person.

"I'm very sorry," I said in my sincerest voice and wore my guilt on my face. "It's just... uhm, your tail.. it's real?"

"Yes. I am a monkey."

He held his chin with his thumb and index finger and scratched his cheek as he thought something over.

"I know not very many monkeys have them so maybe you've never seen them before but I'm a spider monkey," he said pointing to himself. "We most certainly have very real tails."

I wasn't asking what species of monkey you were! But I suppose that did answer the question.

"You're a real monkey?"

"Yes?"

"And Rover is a real cat?"

"Yes."

I nodded as if I know understood everything perfectly. I understood nothing. Whatever was happening wasn't good for my stress levels. Where the hell did my father send me? I'd just have to tough it out as I slowly lost my sanity, I suppose.

Porter raised both eyebrows at the confusion on my face.

"This area used to be called Animal Forest," he explained. "We don't get very many humans so you'll probably be looked at as the strange one. But everyone's pretty friendly, even the carnivores. Just don't pull on their tails."

"I'm sorry. Thank you for the advice. I'll remember it."

I'll get eaten is what's going to happen. Carnivores?

"Glad to help. Have a good day. Enjoy your stay."

He tipped his hat but kept his tail far out of my reach. We both had learned our lesson about my grabby hands. He went his way toward the office and I went mine towards the exit. A town full of anthropomorphic animals. In other words, I'd be living in some adaptation of the 'Island of Dr. Moreau'. I just hope it didn't end the same.

I stepped out of the terminal and into the cold winter air. I was fully awake now. To my surprise, there was a small crowd waiting for me. What a warm welcome for some who'd just be the office gopher.

"Is that her," excitedly yelled a young man with a pig ears and snout. He certainly had the physique to match but with his youthful exuberance, I found him more cute than alarming.

"No feathers, no fur... Maybe it's just what this town needs," suggested a tall and muscular man next to him. I couldn't tell what he was right away but his fluffy hair, sharp eyes, and of course, wings instead of arms or hands said he was obviously a bird.

"What are we waiting for? Let's just say hi already!"

Next to him was a goat woman, identifiable by her horns, beard, and the square pupil of her eyes.

"Okay, everyone! Here we go! Ready, and-!"

Leading the menagerie, I wonder if that wasn't a rude way to put it, was a cheery young woman with honey-brown skin wearing a yellow cardigan and green pencil skirt. She would've seemed fully normal were it not for the two droopy dog ears a midst her blonde hair.

"WELCOME TO NEW LEAF!"

"Thank you all so much!"

I smiled and held tighter to my luggage. Were these my coworkers? Suddenly the dog-woman, or more like a puppy in her behavior, ran over to me and grabbed my hand, shaking it heartily.

"Mayor, we couldn't be happier to see you arrive safe and sound!"

The gears in my brain stopped on that dime.

"Oh no, I'm not the mayor," I hastily replied. "I'm just here for the secretary position."

The crowd of onlookers exchanged glances. The dog-woman looked as confused as I felt. Then after a moment, she broke into pearls of nervous laughter.

"Oh Mayor! Stop joking around! We know exactly who you are! You told us which train you'd be arriving on and everything!"

She let go of my hand and grabbed my luggage to lead me away. I grabbed hold of it as well and pulled it back to stay put.

"You're mistaken, really!"

I tried my hardest to remain polite and explain it to her.

"It's alright," she assured me. "You don't need to get cold feet! A bit of fear might make you a better mayor even!"

I could barely hold it together when I thought I was just the secretary. Being announced mayor, I was staunchly fighting back to urge to fear-vomit. It was not going to make me a better anything that's for sure.

"No, please listen," I objected.

She wrenched the luggage from my grasp and pulled it along.

"Let's continue this discussion at town hall, shall we?"

The crowd dispersed and I followed the woman as she merrily led the way. As I looked around, the town did certainly match the brochure. There was plenty of nature to look at but little of nothing else. I hurried to catch up to the woman's side.

"There are a lot of trees here..."

"Yes! Our native fruit is the peach! Please feel free to try some anytime you'd like."

Did I like peaches? I liked peach pie, peach juice, peaches and cottage cheese. That last one was an acquired taste courtesy of those three days I went on a diet before giving up.

"The flowers are pretty too..."

"We have many different kinds of flowers growing here in New Leaf. Once the snow thaws, the field will be full of even more beautiful blossoms."

I was trying to prod her for conversation and she was giving me the town's sales pitch. She wasn't bad at it but it her stiff delivery just made it clear that it had been rehearsed.

"Uhm... I don't see many buildings aside from the houses? No streets either? Or lights?"

We had been walking this whole time through fields. Calling them houses also felt a bit generous. They were sturdy structures but they were miniature houses and clearly meant for no more than one person. This place was less of a town and more like an encampment.

"New Leaf is still developing, ha ha ha..."

The return of her nervous laughter was a pretty big clue that I had gotten myself into something sketchy.

"But I have no doubt you'll turn it into a great town, Mayor!"

"About that-"

"Here's town hall!"

She purposely cut me off before I could object again.

Town hall was at least a decently sized building. It was a one-story building with windows on each side. The entrance was flanked by two large columns. A giant clock built into the archway above it overlooked it all.

"This will be your base of operations," she said as she ushered me inside.

The inside was orderly but just as meager as the town. The reception desk was lined with things such as a PA System and sunflowers in a vase for decoration. There was also a rotary phone which I liked immediately. The swoosh and clicking noise made dialing numbers fun and I'm sad they went out of style. However, I knew this town hall probably didn't have it because of the nostalgia factor, but instead because they couldn't afford to upgrade. There was also a stack of paperwork and a name placard that read Isabelle.

Just behind it was what I assumed was the mayor's desk. They had paid a bit more expense for its luxury. There was a cushioned office chair with wheels instead of the steel and plastic ones that sat at the secretary's desk. There was also a flat screen computer and a much more recent (yet still not modern) style of office phone. Just behind it hung a picture of an old tortoise man with a long beard. He was wearing glasses and hunched over a cane.

"That's the former mayor, I take it?"

"Yes, Mayor Tortimer," she answered solemnly. "He's passed on now."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

I stared longer at the picture. Mayor Tortimer had a kind face. Even with his wrinkles, he didn't look all that old. But considering how long tortoises lived, he could've been well over a hundred for all I knew.

"Oh! And I completely forgot to mention, I'm on staff here too! Hee hee, I'm Isabelle, your secretary! I'll be here to help you in any way I can. To be frank, I was surprised to see someone as young as yourself step off the train. As you can see, our former mayor held the position for many years and was quite set in his ways. I think you'll be a breath of fresh air and just what this town needs!"

She clasped her hands together and held them to her chest, giving me a pleading look. I couldn't fight puppy dog eyes from an actual puppy-dog.

"I'll do my best!"

I said my declaration and charged towards her. My hands reached her ears and began petting them. Just like with Rover, they were real. There was no seam or headband.

"Wah! Mayor!"

She gave a startled reaction and pushed me away. Her face was blushing intensely but her tail, a fluffy one that curled over like a Shih Tzu or a Pomeranian, wagged furiously.

"Uhm! Petting is not something you do when first meeting a person."

"I'm sorry. I thought dogs liked to be petted?"

She held up her hands and waved them as she tried to dispel that notion.

"Well that's true but it's a bit rude to just suddenly grab someone's ears, isn't it?"

Putting it thought way, it struck that I may just assaulted her without meaning to.

"I'm terribly sorry! I'm still.. coming to terms with all this."

From now on, I would have to resist the urge to pet animals...? People...? These hybrid people-animals, no matter how cute they were.

"Well, let's get started on your mayoral duties right away!"

Just like that, the pit in my stomach returned. What was I going to have to do first? Give a speech? Make a new law? Solve the energy crisis?

"First, we must complete your resident registration form! A mayor must really be a resident, you know."

She laughed it off and I smiled but was not all that amused. She stepped around the counter and as she walked, I could hear the slight noise of jingle bells. Tied around the top of her head in a high ponytail was a hair band adorned with little bells that rang every time she moved her head. I stared transfixed as she went on about her work. She took a seat, pulled out a form, and began filling it out.

"So first we need your name. So what is you name, Mayor?"

"It's-"

"Oh, Anise! Duh. I have that already!"

But I hadn't told her my name at all during our conversation. Not that I could remember. So there really was a mix-up in the paper work that ended up with me accidentally applying for the mayoral position instead of secretary.

"And next, OH NO! THIS IS BAD!"

I braced myself for the worst. Although I don't know what that could be in this situation. I was now the mayor of a town of animals. I didn't think it could get worse.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't believe I forgot something so vitally important! You can't be a resident if you don't have a residence!"

Oh yeah, I was homeless. I shrugged at her statement of the obvious.

"That's pretty true."

"We don't have any vacant houses either... but you could build one! We should really get you settled in before we continue. You'll have to go to Nook's Homes. It's on the other side of the train station, on Main Street. I'll stay here and finish the paper work and you go find Nook's Homes!"

"Alright. I'll be off then. Thanks, Isabelle."

She waved as I walked out the door. She was cute but a bit scatterbrained. Well Shih Tzu were a small, hyperactive breed. I wondered if that wasn't stereotyping... Would it be okay for me to ask her what is and isn't appropriate when dealing with animals? If petting on the first meeting was bad, then I'm sure they had more etiquette that I should know about.

As I walked through town, it really did seem to be a desolate place. There was plenty of greenery but not much else. Could I make this place better? What if I made things worse? Would my being a human cause a problem? Even if I wanted to run away, I couldn't. I wasn't wanted at home, 'needed', as my dad put it. This was my only chance and there weren't any others coming my way. I took in a deep breath. Making the best of it was the most I could do.

I walked past the train station and up the stairs towards main street. The cluster of buildings were more of a comfort to me then the wilderness. But they were all boarded up and they looked like they had been that way for ages. That was never a good sign. I decided I certainly couldn't do worse. There were only two shops that seemed open. Nook's Homes, my destination, and on the other side of a gated-off walkway, Nookling Junction. I wondered if they were related.

I stepped into Nook's Homes and was greeted by a raccoon dog. He was large and burly older man with brown skin, round ears, and a puffy tail. I could tell he was a raccoon by the dark complexion around his eyes in a mask-like pattern. It was his ears that confused me but it was his tail that made the difference. Raccoons have long striped tails and raccoon dogs have short gradient brown tails. It was also his tail that fascinated me as it swayed back and forth. I sincerely wanted to touch it for how amazingly soft it looked. His rotund figure didn't help fight the cuddly image.

"Welcome, welcome!"

He had me with a lazy smile and spoke in a calm, even-toned voice. His eyes were heavily lidded, as if he had just woken up.

"You must be the new mayor. I've heard all about you."

"Yes, I just moved in," I reached out my hand to shake. "I'm Anise. Nice to meet you."

He took it and shook it just as casually as I expected him to. I let out a small shriek and stiffened up. His hands had paw pads on the end of his fingers and from them, claws. They hadn't hurt but I hadn't expected it either.

"Yes, yes," he said dismissively. "On behalf of the New Leaf Chamber of Commerce, I welcome you."

I was surprised to hear there was a chamber of commerce as given that from the looks of things, there was absolutely no commerce.

"I'm Tom Nook, I'll be your real estate agent. So you're here today because you want to build a house, yes? Please, have a seat."

Nook's Homes was a single story building and home to a single office. It was sequestered away in the back corner by the usual ugly gray office partitions. It consisted of a single desk with a computer, office chair, and a chair for guests. There were also the usual items, a filing cabinet, a potted plant, and various decorative knick-knacks. In the much larger open space were two comfortable chairs facing each other and separated by a small coffee table.

I took a seat in one of the chairs and Nook sat in the other.

"So have decided where you want to live?"

"Not yet.. I just got off the train today."

"Color me unsurprised," he chuckled. "Well there's no need to rush things. Take your time. Let's walk around town and find you your perfect place! I'll get my coat!"

I felt cynical at his saying there was no need to rush things but that was exactly what he was doing. However, it's not like I had all the time in the world to decide where to live when the alternative was sleeping outside in the dead of winter without so much as a blanket.

As we stepped off of Main Street and back into town, I noticed the way Nook's jacket didn't fit all the way over his belly. The bottom of his green sweater was still exposed by the little pudge of his tummy. Wait, was that appropriate to think about an older man? Do I think of him as a man or as an animal? Was this a question of moral decency due to our age differences or our species differences?

"Ahem!"

Nook cleared his throat to get my attention away from monologuing my inner crisis.

"Have you found a suitable place yet?"

"No, Sir," I said sheepishly, "not yet!"

"Well, that's fine," he answered with a smile on his face but some growing sourness in his voice. "Of course I'd have have all day to spend on _one_ client."

I didn't think I deserved the sass but put up with it. It was my fault for drifting off. After a few minutes of exploring the town, I settled on a spot in the north-west corner near the train tracks. It was far enough away from any other houses that I could isolate myself just fine if I need to. I immediately regretted it when I realized this meant I'd hear the train passing by at all hours of night.

Nook measured out the plot of land and roped off the area. From his measurements, I could tell I was getting a house that was just as small as the villagers.

"This space is officially yours," he laughed.

I felt no need to reciprocate. I was already worried about where the bathroom would be and how near it would be to my bed. At least it wasn't a jail cell but at this size, it was close.

"Now the cost of land, materials, building costs... Well, the calculations are quite complicated so I can't come up with it just now. I'll tell you the total later."

That was a red flag if I ever heard one. I would have to make sure to look over the receipt carefully when I got it. No matter how cuddly he looked, I wasn't going to let him rip me off.

"I'm sure you're busy so I'll let you get back to work. Just stop by my office later to get the bill."

He started to walk away but I grabbed the edge of his sweater to stop him.

"Excuse me? About tonight?"

He looked perplexed then was struck by what I meant.

"Of course! You still need a place to rest your head! Not to worry. Give me just a moment!"

He pulled a leaf from his pocket and gave me a proud look. I didn't need to reach deep to be skeptical of whatever he planned to do with it. There was no way he was going to make a house out of leaves. He rubbed the leaf in between his fingers and there it dead center in the plot of ground. In flash of smoke, there was suddenly a camping tent erected on the spot.

"How did you!?"

"Ta-ta-ta-Da," he sang. "I'll let you borrow this tent so you have somewhere to sleep. I even put a mailbox so you can start receiving mail."

The mailbox was just a cardboard box glued to the top of a wooden post with a slit crudely cut into the front of it. It was a piece of junk but that was beside the point.

"How did you do that!? Where did it come from!?"

I was astounded and impatient to know the answer. But he continued smiling and put a finger to his lips.

"Now, now, Mayor! I can't give away family secrets! We'll part ways here. You have your duties to return to and I have my shop."

As he walked away, I remembered a story about raccoon dogs. They resembled Japanese spirits called tanuki and were said to be able to transform objects from simply using leaves. I wish that was the only thing I remembered but the rest is better left unsaid.

I poked and prodded the tent to see if the magic would wear off or falter in anyway. I stepped inside and even then, it seemed to be a thoroughly good job. The leaf didn't just look like a tent, it really was a tent. I hoped my house would be decidedly none magic and actual brick and mortar.

I returned to Isabelle and told her what had happened in the hopes that she would relieve me in some way. My willing suspension of belief had been stretched to the breaking point. I needed a kindred spirit to unload some of it on.

"That's Mr. Nook for you," she sang.

She did not share my fatigue at all.

"There's just one more thing for you to do, Mayor! Or two, two more things, actually!"

"Throw it at me," I sighed.

"Uhm... I'd rather just hand it to you..."

She gave me a tiny identification card. It had my name, birth date, and the name of the town. The only thing missing was a photo.

"That's your Town Pass Card, or TPC for short! It's proof of your residency. You can attach a recent photo to it by using the photo booth on Main Street."

It was also pink which I didn't mind in the slightest.

"Thank you."

"And for your last assignment and first official act as Mayor..."

She beat her fingers on the table imitating a drum roll. Please let it be cutting a ribbon or breaking a champagne bottle on a boat.

"A ceremony to commemorate your taking office!"

"Yes," I balled my hand into a fist and pumped it in the air. "I can do that. So I have to... still give a speech! No!'

"You only need to say a few words, Mayor. The important part is planting a sapling in the town plaza. The sapling will be a symbol of our town's growth and prosperity."

"I'm very bad at taking care of plants." I thought it best to admit my faults off the bat. "I over water them and they die. I'll try to be careful but I'm really not good at taking care of living things, not even myself!"

Isabelle again laughed this off but I was serious. Dead serious. As dead as that sapling was going to be, probably.

She made a short announcement over the PA system and we set off for the town plaza. Everyone in town was gathered around, which apparently was only five... animals. There were three I had seen before plus another piglet girl, and a young woman with pink scales, blue eyes, and slit pupils.

Isabelle and I stood in a large potted planter. She handed me a sapling and instructed me through out the ceremony. A hole had already been dug before hand so all I needed to do was put it in the ground and cover the base with dirt.

"Put your heart into it, Ms. Mayor."

As I kneeled in the dirt with the sapling in hand, I recalled what Isabelle had said back at town hall. The tree was a symbol of prosperity and growth. As long it flourished, so would this town and the people in it. I patted down the dirt on top of it and whispered to it.

"Let's grow together, little tree. You, big and strong, and me..."

A blank slate. A dead end. A failure.

"Make me something. Anything."

I stood back up and wiped the dirt from my hands, met by the applause and cheers of the crowd.

"On this day," announced Isabelle, "January 18th, let it be known that Anise became Mayor of New Leaf! Congratulations, Mayor! May this tree grow as strong and lively as the town!"

"Thank you!"

Smile and wave, I told myself. You can do that much, smile and wave.

"All of us are looking forward to the changes you'll make to our beloved town! Everyone, that concludes today's ceremony!"

I was given a last hurrah and then the animals left. I could finally breathe again.

"You did great today Mayor. Please take the rest of the day off."

"Wait, you mean that's it?"

"Well you must be tired right? You've been running around all day."

"Sure. Isabelle, thank you for all your help today. Good work!"

"You too, Mayor!"

Even though she said had nothing but nice things to say and left with a smile, I couldn't help but feel that I let Isabelle down. I thought being mayor would be harder work than just attending a ceremony. Maybe Isabelle was just as unsure about me as I was about myself and shouldering the burden alone?

I had never given thought to the fact that it was only my first day as mayor. I should've enjoyed my leisure while I could. As I was soon to learn, my work had barely begun.


	3. Chapter 3

January 19th.

Despite Isabelle's words that I take it easy, I decided instead to explore. I thought that at very least, I should find out more about where I'm living and the people I'm living with. I just hoped they weren't too critical.

The first animal I found was the blue piglet boy.

"Excuse me!"

I waved as I ran over to him. I was trying to think of what to say and how to introduce myself. He quickly greeted me with all smiles.

"Hey, Ms. Mayor!"

"Hello, I'm Anise! It's nice to meet you."

I couldn't introduce myself as the mayor since he beat me to it.

"My name is Hugh! It's nice to meet you too. You know, I saw the tree planting ceremony. My heart went all thumpy-thumpy."

"Ah, were you nervous?"

We were both blushing albeit for different reasons. Perhaps he was as worried about my mayoral reign as I was.

"I was," he squealed. "But you did great! You looked like a real adult! I'm sure you're a person who knows how to have fun so I can't wait to see what you do to our town! Hey, let's be good friends, okay? We'll eat snack, drink juice, and be merry and stuff! My favorite things with my new favorite person!"

I was taken back by his words. He was childish and optimistic and completely opening himself up to me. Had I really made a friend that easily? I shut myself off to people during my school-years. It was easier that way instead of hearing my mom's nagging about how my studies were more important. Because of it, the friends I did make didn't stay long. I wondered if I would only repeat the cycle now that I had such this lofty job. Would it be okay with Isabelle if I had friends?

"Ms. Mayor?" Hugh stared at my clouded face and quickly became worried about me. "Are you okay? Your face is sad!"

"No, no!" I quickly wiped away the tears welling in my eyes and smiled my hardest. "I'm very happy. Thank you very much! I'll do my best as the mayor!"

His carefree happiness returned and he nodded in affirmation. "Let's make it a fun place to live!"

The next animal I ran into appeared a bit more stern. At least that's what I was expecting. It was the bearded goat woman in glasses.

"Hello," I called to her as I walked over.

"Hello yourself," she answered back. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"No, we haven't." I held my hands clasped in front of me and gave a little bow in place of a curtsy. "I'm the mayor. My name's Anise."

"I know who you are," she answered. "I was at the tree ceremony."

Her attitude wasn't harsh but her old lady mannerisms demanded my patience.

"So how did you like it," I asked, fully expecting to hear some criticisms about my posture or my clothes or the music kids listened to these days.

"It was inspiring," she began gushing with praise instead. "I know a mayor like you is going to make this place even lovlier!"

"Is that so," I said uncertain of how I felt about her sudden change in attitude.

"My name's Velma and I look forward to do with our little town!"

"I'll do my best to not let you down, Ma'am."

I went around introducing myself to all of the villagers. Including Hugh and Velma, there was also the piglet girl named Truffles, who wanted me to make New Leaf a cool place to live, Pierce the eagle, who wanted this lady-bro to make it the strongest town around (compared to what, I'm not sure), and Gayle the pink alligator, who could tell right away that I was 'a strong and dependable leader'.

Not one of them had a bad word to say about me. I don't know where they all got their endless supply of sunshine, rainbows, and rose-colored glasses. It was a stark difference between their words and what I had heard all my life. I didn't know if it meant I should try my best or just give up right away. I brought my palms to my face and gave myself a good sting to my cheeks. Maybe things would be different here. Maybe everything would be different. Maybe it meant I could be different too.

I returned to my tent and was met by Isabelle. Should I ask her about the friends thing? Would be she mad? I tried to act nonchalant as I approached. I was supposed to be resting, wasn't I?

"I was taking a walk," I explained to her as I approached.

"Isn't it lovely, Mayor? Did you introduce yourself to the villagers? Everyone's friendly so you don't need to be afraid!"

She was as peppy as usual.

"I did. Uhm... Some of them even... wanted to be friends."

I squared my shoulders and prepared to hear about how I wasn't taking my job seriously enough and had no time to mess around. But it didn't come.

"That's wonderful, Mayor," she said while applauding. "I knew you'd be a great mayor!"

Her answer was a world of difference.

"Oh! I won't keep you long, Mayor. I just wanted to drop these off to you."

As she held it up, I thought it was an old oil lantern but it was an electric one used for camping. Under her arm was a rolled up sleeping bag.

"I thought we had a lantern at town hall so I searched the storage closet and there it was! It's perfect for you since you're staying in a tent until your home is finished. I brought my sleeping bag from home so you have somewhere to rest your head!"

"Thank you..."

We walked inside the tent and Isabelle laid the sleeping bag down as I tested the lantern. It didn't give out any heat but it was plenty bright.

"Thank you so much, Isabelle."

"You're welcome, Mayor," she said while wagging her tail. "Uhm, well that's all I have for you right now. I'm sorry to barge in on you like this. I'll be going now."

"Not a problem. You can barge in anytime you feel like it."

As Isabelle left, I looked around at my scarce belongings. A lantern, a sleeping bag that was covered in dog hair unfortunately, (but was better than the hard ground), and my suitcase.

I couldn't tell if my situation had gotten better or worse but I was somehow felt happier then I had been in a long while.

There was still daylight to burn so I decided to take another look at main street. I went into the first store I came to, Nookling Junction. The wooden shack served as a general store and was pretty barren. A fishing rod, shovel, and bug catching net lay against the back wall. On a table in the center was a box of stationary, tubes of wrapping paper, and a bowl with individually wrapped fortune cookies that came with every purchase. That was it.

It was maned by not one but two little raccoon dog children in matching blue aprons. They were like wide-eyed twin miniatures of Tom Nook. The only difference was their haircuts; the twins had a low fade with a part cut into their hair on either the left or right side, probably to help tell them apart. Their adorableness made me more interested in them over anything they were selling.

"Come in, come in," greeted one.

"Welcome," greeted the other.

"Could it be this your first time in our humble establishment?"

"We've never seen you before?"

"It is. I'm Anise and I just moved in today. Are you two playing shop keeper?"

"This is Nookling Juction," the first one corrected me.

"It's our store," chimed the other.

"We sell a variety of goods for daily living. I'm Timmy."

"Furniture too," the other added. "I'm Tommy."

"Please treat us kindly," they said unison.

Unfortunately I didn't have much money on me to spend. I had no money. After I said this, they welcomed me to browse but politely suggested it'd be better if I come back when I did have money. They were a precocious pair of kids to say the least.

I was surprised to find the shop next to theirs was actually open. It was a clothing store.

"Hello," a cheerful voice yelled as soon as I entered. "Welcome to the one and only, handmade fashion palace of the Able Sisters!"

It was hard to figure out but I later found out that the Able's were hedgehogs with their needles acting as their hair. Mabel, the one that greeted me, was the youngest sister and in the middle of her teenage years. She had a dark brown, almost midnight blue complexion, was tall, lanky, and an active tomboy but was sweet as could be. She wore a green gingham apron and had shoulder-length blue hair style into two-strand twists.

Sable was the eldest sister and somewhere in her thirties. Her long brown hair was twisted like dreadlocks and pulled back into a ponytail. She was a shy, quiet type and always sat behind the shop's sewing machine working on the next article of clothing. The pink gingham apron she always wore not only matched Mable's but complimented the warmth skintone.

Mable grabbed my hand and pulled me into the shop.

"I know you! You're the knew mayor everyone's talking about!"

"Yes! I'm Anise," I answered. I wanted to take back my arm before she ripped it off. "Wait, how did you know?"

"Hee hee! Everyone has been buzzing about you! It's easy to recognize the only human!"

"That'll do it."

Of course. I had somehow forgotten I was 'the only one without fur, feathers, or scales' as it had been said.

Satisfied, she finally let go of my arm and put both hands on her hips.

"As you can see, our store specializes in handmade clothes!"

I looked around the shop at the mannequins standing on top of green wooden pallets. Dresses, pants, skirts, and shorts, all were well crafted and had a humble charm to them. As I looked at the price tags, they were all pretty cheap too. Fancier stores charged an arm and leg to imitate this kind of intimacy without bothering with the quality.

"You're thinking they're good, aren'tcha?"

"I am! I mean, they are!"

Mable smiled approvingly at my awe and ran over to her sister.

"There all handmade right here in this shop by the one and only Sable!"

She grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face me. I clapped in earnest admiration of her skills. Sable blushed furiously and quickly turned back to her sewing machine, giving me the cold shoulder.

"If you need something, please ask the clerk."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend," I said aloud.

"It's alright." Though she said that, Mable tut-tutted her sister's reaction. "She's just shy. If you need any accessories, please see the accessory store next door! It's also run by our sister!"

"I will, thank you both."

I left in a hurry, somewhat regretting my actions with Sable. I hope I hadn't made her angry or said something to hurt her feelings.

The adjacent boutique was completely different from the clothing store. It had tiled floors, fancy tables, and a ritzy chandelier overhead. The prices also changed and were much higher. I couldn't speak for the quality. On the wall hung a framed certificate with a blue bow with orange and green circles decorating one of its corners.

The store was run by Label, who preferred to go by Labelle, the middle Abel sister. She was in her middle twenties, with a medium complexion that put her in between Sable's and Mable's. Her hair was also long and styled into many individual braids with fancy curls at the ends. Both her style of dress and her demeanor were different from her more homely sisters. She wore a face full of glamour make up and fancy black dress with white sleeves underneath. She was rather stand-offish and a bit snobby though still somewhat professional. The only indication she had any relation to the others, despite also being a hedgehog, was the yellow gingham scarf around her neck.

She didn't greet me as I entered the store but eyed me shrewdly as I walked around.

"You're uhm... Mable's sister," I asked, trying to prod her for some kind of conversation.

"Yes I am," she said plainly. "I'm Labelle."

"I'm Anise. I'm the mayor. It's nice to meet you!"

"Mm-hmm."

Try as might to make conversation, the only result was awkwardness.

"This is pretty high-end boutique. It must be very hard with this being a small town and all?"

"Our prices are very reasonable. Please browse at your leisure. Otherwise, if you're not here to shop then you may leave."

Just like that, I was quickly dismissed. I walked out with my hypothetical tail in-between my legs, thankfully I didn't have a real one.

There were no other shops to visit on main street. The very last building was a stately looking museum. My mood perked up immensely. Despite my lack of aptitude for learning, I loved museums. Getting to see a piece of history was always different and more engaging then just reading some dry paragraph about it.

However, the museum was completely empty. There was no one at the front desk nor any one in the hallways. No matter how loudly I called out, I got no reply. An empty museum was just a little bit terrifying. Was it just a prop? Storage space? Maybe it was abandoned for a reason. I hoped that reason wasn't ghosts.

I was about to walk into one of the exhibit halls marked 'art' when I heard screaming. Against all my better judgment, I ran towards it. It was coming from somewhere upstairs. I followed the sounds and burst into the room of a large office. There I found a man crouched against the wall in terror.

"What is it," I said as I rushed over. "Are you okay? What's wrong!?"

"There it is," he shouted and pointed at something. "It's coming this way!"

My heart stopped. Worse words couldn't have been said. He screamed again and crawled away as fast as he could. I turned and expected to see some monster coming straight towards us. I only saw... a fly. Perhaps it was poisonous in some way? Or carried a deadly disease? I caught his fear but at least the rest of my good sense had the decency to stay. I ducked from the fly and picked up a magazine from the desk. Taking aim, I swung as hard as I could and beat it into the ground.

"It's dead!"

I announced my victory expecting to be hailed for my heroics. Instead, the man looked at the magazine and the rather gruesomely crushed corpse of the fly and promptly fainted on the spot.

"Sir," I screamed. "Sir!? Please wake up!"

I threw the magazine in the trash and looked around for something, anything, that would be of help. What did you do when someone fainted? Cradle their head? Use a defibrillator? Slap them awake? I think that last one was it.

I rushed over to his side and raised my right hand. I brought it down hard but stopped before I touched his cheek. I couldn't just hit someone I barely knew who had done me no wrong! Instead I grabbed a firm hold of both his shoulders and shook him as hard as I could.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"HOO!?"

Whether he heard me or not, his eyelids flew open and surprised me that I dropped him on the ground.

"Ow!"

"Sorry! You wouldn't wake up but then you did and it scared me!"

He looked around as if he had trouble remembering what happened. When he turned me to again, he put a hand to his chest as if he felt some relief, then his mouth as if he were trying to avoid throwing up.

"Oh yes, that's right! You killed that horrendous fly for me! Though I wished you hadn't... been so brutal."

I apologized again as I helped him onto his feet. So whoever he was, he was very soft-hearted.

"Was the fly poisonous," I asked.

"Oh, no no no," he quickly answered as he straightened his glasses. "While it's possible for the common housefly to carry numerous bacterial diseases, they're not poisonous."

"So... it was just a normal fly then?"

"Normal, yes," he nodded before turning somewhat pale. "Normal, foul, absolutely filthy, and completely vile! Absolutely disgusting creatures! Shedding their hair and feces all over my food and spreading their- Look at me," he screamed in a panic. "Look at my eyes, do I look like I have cholera?"

I shook my head, "no?"

"What about dysentery?"

He grabbed my hand and put the back of it to his forehead.

"I think I feel feverish, do I feel feverish to you?"

"Maybe you should sit down..."

"Yes, I think you're right."

I gently pulled him towards the desk and pulled out the chair for him. I was starting to think he was a bit paranoid.

"What were you eating," I asked. "I'll get rid of it."

"What?"

"The food you were eating that the fly was in. I'll throw it away for you."

"I wasn't eating anything," he said as if I had asked a dumb question.

Indeed I had. He was paranoid.

"I was minding my own business here in my office taking a nap, I'm an owl, a nocturnal creature as you can see, when that vile creature barged in and assaulted me with its biological warfare."

I had to admit that I honestly done more harm to him then the fly but I wasn't going to correct him. He went on self-checking for any symptoms to see whether or not he was going to die from one disease or the other before it occurred to him that I might be intruding.

"I'm sorry, but hoo, ahem, I mean _who_ are you?"

"Anise," I answered. "I wanted to visit the museum but if you're busy-"

"A visitor!?"

He leapt from his desk and grabbed my hands, shaking them both quite heartily.

"We haven't had a visitor in ages! But where are my manners, am I right?"

He let go of me and stepped back to properly introduce himself. Now that I had a better look at him, his awkward appearance was endearing. His fluffy bed-hair stuck up in all directions. His large coke-bottled glasses took up nearly half of his face. Even as he used his wings as hands, they still seemed long and gangling compared how round his face was.

"I am Blathers, curator of this museum! I'm honored to make your acquaintance."

He gave a deep bow and blushing, I bowed right back.

"Thank you. I'd like a tour if you don't mind?"

"I would be my pleasure!"

He held out the crook of his arm and I took it gently. It was a bit funny but a nice gesture to be escorted so. Together we walked down the stairs and into the main hallway.

"We currently have four permanent exhibits," he continued. "Our archaeology wing houses dinosaurs from pre-historic and ancient times. Our art gallery displays both rare paintings and sculptures. We have two wings devoted to the natural sciences, ichthyology, that's fresh and salt water fish, and entomology, which is... ahem, insects. What would you like to see first?"

I thought of saying insects just to hear his reaction but I wasn't that cruel. Nor did I want to trigger another episode of his.

"The art gallery sounds lovely."

"It is very lovely," he smiled. "Unfortunately our gallery at the moment... is empty."

"Empty," I asked in disbelief.

His smile waned to a sheepish expression.

"Well, fine art is... a bit expensive. We don't have a very large budget, you see."

"I see. Then the archaeology wing I suppose?"

"Yes," he perked up. "Our archaeology department is our pride and joy!"

"Is it really?"

"Absolutely, if I do say so myself. Headed by yours truly!"

"Then I can't wait to see it!"

I started to walk toward the fossils exhibit only to be pulled back.

"Unfortunately," he said, "it's also empty."

I sighed, not knowing if I should be frustrated or pitying.

"Is the aquarium wing open?"

"It is!"

"Does it have anything in it?"

"Yes!"

He answered enthusiastically at last so I got my hopes up.

"We don't have any specimens currently but the underwater terrariums are very soothing to look at it. I designed them myself."

I should have known better.

"The insect wing," I asked in desperation.

"Quite scenic, I assure you. It's like spring all year round."

"Does it have any insects, Blathers?"

"No," he shook his head. "Not at all. That fly would have been the first, and only, specimen. If you hadn't killed it."

I threw my head back and sighed. That's why it was devoid of people. Who would hang around an empty museum all day?

"This is depressing," I said aloud.

"I quite agree." Blathers dropped his arms and retreated to take a seat on the museum steps. "The previous mayor kept a tight budget but allotted us at least enough money to survive. After he retired, well, we've been rudderless for quite some time and I'm doing all I can just keeping the lights on. However, I fear this may be end."

He put his head on his hands and sulked.

"Not a single thing on display," he muttered. "It was always my dream to curate my own museum and... I'm an embarrassment to my profession."

"No you're not," I objected. "It won't end here and I won't let it!"

I don't know what came over me suddenly but if there was a quicker way to piss me off than the museum's neglect, I didn't want to discover it.

"Because I'm the mayor now and if I do nothing else for this town, I'll at least restore the dignity that the arts and sciences deserve!"

"Wot? You truly mean that? You'll help the museum get back on its feet?"

"Mm-hmm," I nodded. "I'll talk to Isabelle. There's got to be something we can do!"

"Huzzah!"

Blathers jumped up from his seat with fervor.

"Mayor, I would be so grateful, eternally grateful! Hoo, I haven't felt this hopeful in years! I will of course assist in any way I can."

I don't know what the future held or if I even could make such a thing come true but I was determined to at least try. If the previous mayor gave the museum an allotment, than perhaps all I needed to do was give them a bit more. Maybe hold a bake sale if it wasn't enough?

The last stop before leaving main street was Nook's Homes. It was time to find out just how much the house of matchsticks was going to cost me.


	4. Chapter 4

Jan. 19th. - Part II

"Ah, Ms. Mayor! Welcome once again!"

Mr. Nook greeted me as cordially as usual.

"I'm here for the costs and everything?"

"Yes, yes! Of course!"

He rose from his seat and escorted me to the chair in his office. As small as the place was entirely, it's not as if I would've gotten lost. But I did appreciate his polite formalities. It and his constant enthusiasm was somewhat endearing.

"You couldn't have come at a better time. I've just finished running the numbers on your home loan."

"Home loan?"

I was shocked but on second thought, didn't know why I should be. Probably because a 'home loan' is something I've always considered to be strictly a thing that only people in their thirties dealt with. Or people who had their lives together and could afford to buy a home. Or otherwise just people who weren't me. College had already traumatized me enough that even hearing the word 'loan' made me sure that nothing good could come from it. Something as serious as a home loan I assumed involved long-term suffering and selling my first born to a witch.

Mr. Nook saw the fear and confusion in my face and raised his brows. My surprise was a surprise to him. Thinking that I misunderstood him in some way, he had no idea just how right he was, he began to explain it to me in simpler terms.

"A home loan here in Animal Village works differently then what you may be used to where you're from. Our infrastructure is certainly smaller, as you know," he chuckled. "Usually a bank would buy your home and you'd pay them back the money over a period of time. As we have no bank, you'll instead be paying me back directly, yes yes. I'm not loaning you any money per se, but I am certainly not giving you a house for free, ha ha ha."

"Ah, I got it."

I don't know if he meant to ease my anxiety but he did make it seem a lot less terrifying.

"Good, I'm glad I was able to help you understand. Now, in order to begin construction," his mood perked up and he became suddenly cheery, "I'll need a down payment of a paltry sum of 10,000 bells."

"10,000 bells," I gasped in disbelief, "I don't even have one!"

His constant smile twitched slightly at my outburst. He picked it up quickly but his mask wasn't as strong as he thought it was, it seemed. I was less worried about his customer service and more worried about my own predicament. I was going to be sleeping in that tent forever. No, not forever, just until I froze to death. Which ever came first.

"Oh, don't worry, don't worry!"

Mr. Nook tried to wave off my concerns but he seemed just as unhappy about this situation. He was smiling but his jaw was tensed as if he were going to yell about this to someone later. I couldn't exactly disagree with him as I wanted to do the same thing.

"This town is rich in crops and other resources. You'll find it easy to earn money. I hear the Recycling Shop in town is often seeking hired help to retrieve items for them and they pay quite a pretty penny. An easy path to riches, certainly! Much faster than grueling away at low-paying, part-time employment, hmm?"

My heart hadn't calmed down but I nodded my head. It was better than doing nothing and the only other option I had was literally doing nothing.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Nook."

He nodded and rose to shake my hand, to also usher me just as quickly out of his office.

"Just come see me when you've saved up the money. I wish you best of luck, Ms. Mayor."

As I headed back to town, I tried to somehow get a grasp of what all I had gotten myself into. There was the promise I made to Blathers about the museum, and my job as mayor which I still didn't know what it fully entailed, and lastly, this new bill. Being the most expensive issue thus far, I decided to take Mr. Nook's advice and head to the recycling shop as fast as I could.

The building sat in the center of town, and stood out clear as day with bright pink walls and a bright blue roof. It had been patched together from corrugated metal and planks of wood and looked like something from a shanty town. The area in front of it was paved with flat cobblestones. A single lamp hung next to the door, illuminating a chalk board sign which told their hours of operation and what the 'deal of the day' was.

The inside of the recycling shop was surprisingly homely. I was expecting packed shelves littered with trinkets, clothes, and secondhand debris, but the place was tidier than my own room. It was brightly lit, spacious, and everything was neatly organized. There were eight wooden pallets that had been laid out on the floor and on each of them was different item up for sale.

"Hello, welcome to Re-Tail!"

I was greeted by a pink alpaca named Reese. She was a large woman with a dainty face in a fluffy woolen dress that seemed to cover her literally from head to toe. The exceptions were her little red apron and her little brown boots.

"Would you happen to be the new mayor," she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm Anise."

"Oh my! Welcome to our humble little shop! I'm so honored!"

If it weren't for Isabelle, I think Reese would win the award for peppiest animal I've met yet.

"I'm Reese, one of the proprietors here at Re-Tail. As you can see, our shop buys items and furniture and resells them. We also refurbish items and host the town's flea market."

I looked around the shop more as she spoke. One of the items near the back of the shop caught my eye; it was a small bed but came fully furnished with a set of sheets and pillows. Reese noticed my staring and walked over to the item.

"Are you interested? It's a common bed and available for only 800 bells!"

I winced.

"I don't have any money to spend," I told her apologetically. "That's really why I'm here. I was told that you might pay me to fetch items?"

"Oh, I see," she continued smiling all the same. "Yes, we pay double the normal sales price for premium items. They're specially requested items that are usually listed on the board outside. Today's items are sand dollars. You can usually find them along the beach. They usually sell for 60 bells, but as they're requested, today only we'll buy them for 120 bells."

"So if I needed to pay off a down payment of 10,000 bells..."

I held my chin in my hand as I tried to do the math in my head. Math in general wasn't my strong suit and I was helpless at division. Thinking of all the zeroes had started to make me dizzy.

"About 84 sand dollars at the premium price of 168 at the regular price," Reese said instantly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll find that many any time soon."

"You're right," I agreed nervously.

Was she some kind of math genius!? It was possible since she did run a store and you needed to know math to exchange money, I guess.

I headed down the to the beach to pick up as many sea shells as I could carry. In contrast to the town's wild environment, the beach was serenely desolate. There was nothing there but white sand and the gentle rhythm of the tide. I took my time gathering shells but mostly spent it staring out at the ocean. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to the ocean. I couldn't remember the last time I had spent so long outdoors and away from a book. Away from the stress of having someone else's expectations breathing down my back.

I had took on the intensive job of being mayor. I had promised to rehabilitate a dying museum. I had to save enough to make a down payment to afford my very first house. Logically, I should have been ripping my hair out from the weight of it all. But instead, hear I was gathering sea shells on a beach. And feeling... fine. Nervous, sure. Suspenseful, absolutely. But for the first time since I could remember, neither of these feelings ended with me crying and unable to move. My life had taken a turn much in the same way I went about gathering shells. I was only taking one step at a time and somehow, it was okay.

I returned to the Reese and my trip at the beach netted me around 3,000 bells. I hadn't found that many sand dollars but I had also brought her every other shell on the beach I could find. I put off buying the bed for now. I decided to give the sleeping bag a try at least for a night. If I made my living gathering shells, I could pay Nook's down payment in no time. However, the museum would still be another matter. Fossils and fine art weren't exactly cheap.

As the evening set in, I returned to my tent and settled in for the night. I was looking forward to tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Jan 20th.

'To Anise,

Congrats on your newfound mayorhood! To be honest, I was supposed to become the mayor but one thing led to another... And now it's all up to you! I'm rooting for you! - Keep it a secret!'

I woke up the next morning to find a strange letter in my mailbox. Although it was marked as being from an 'unknown sender', I had my suspicions that it somehow involved a certain cat I had met not too long ago. The more I thought about it, there were a number of convenient coincidences that led to me becoming the new mayor. He just so happened to have a map of the town I was moving to. He had told me he had a friend who would take care of me there. He was the only other passenger on the train to New Leaf and arrived at the station the same time I had. Unless the culprit had taken a late a train and arrived just in time to catch the tail end of my inauguration ceremony, which also blew my theories out of the water. All my guessing left me in the same place I started, leaving the sender, whoever they were, unknown.

I headed to the Town Hall to finally get started on my job as mayor and ask her a few questions. I assumed she'd be perky as usual, if not a bit miffed that I had slept in. I had to remember to ask her what time work started. I hoped my coming in so close to noon wasn't a problem but I'd honestly be surprised if it wasn't. Such a respectable job had to have strict protocol. To my surprise, I walked in only to find Isabelle asleep at her desk.

I reached out and flicked the bell chimes on her hair-tie.

"Isabelle...?"

"Yes!?" She immediately jumped out of her seat and stood at attention. "I was dreaming about work, I swear!"

"It's only me," I waved. "Sorry I woke you."

"Oh," she sighed in relief. "Mayor... How embarrassing. Please forgive me."

"It's okay. Wait, what time did you get here?"

"About six this morning," she yawned. "My brother works early as well so I have him drop me off on the way."

I felt an immediate and severe pang of guilt that I had kept her waiting that long.

"I'm so sorry," I muttered.

"There's no reason for you to apologize, Mayor. I like working and it gives me a bunch of time to get things done. But now that you're here, shall we get to work together?"

"Right," I took a seat on the plush vinyl chair in the back and waited for my first order. "What's the agenda today."

"Well before you can actually flex your mayoral power, you need a Town Development Permit."

"So I fill out some paper work?"

"Not exactly. I can take care of the paper work. But in order to get it, you need a 100% approval rating from the townsfolk."

"Yikes..." I drummed my fingers on the desk and grimaced. I knew where this is going. "And my approval rating is as of now?"

"Absolutely zero," she said in an attempted cheerful tone.

Of course it was zero. I had just arrived yesterday and hadn't really done much of anything. I had at least introduced myself for what it was worth, which apparently wasn't much.

"But it's not a problem, Mayor! I'll do the paperwork and you do the footwork and we'll make a great team! The first step to raising your approval rating is right here!"

She riffled through her drawer and pulled out a writing pad of lined paper and handed me a fancy looking fountain pen.

"Even though you've already met many of the villagers, writing them letters is another way of endearing them towards you. No matter how brief, I'm sure the thought behind it is what counts."

"I'm on it," I sang.

As I stared at the sheet of paper in front of me, I realized I had no idea what to actually write as a politician. But I did know how to write thank-you letters for job interviews. I had to change a few words of course but I had hoped it was enough. I used more or less the same letter for every villager and only changing the ending line to mention something personal we had spoke about it. Afterwords, I handed the finished stack to Isabelle.

"I hope it's good enough," I told her as a warning to be prepared to be disappointed in me.

"I'm sure you did great, Mayor!"

She folded each one neatly and put them into an envelope, then tied the stack together in a bow.

"Now they're all packed and ready for you to take to the post office," she said as she handed them back to me. "It's the building on Main Street just next to Nook's Homes."

As I stared at the bundle in my hands, I wondered why she hadn't checked them. Didn't she have any doubt in my abilities? Wouldn't it just be reasonable to be apprehensive?

"Let's see, what's next..." she continued absentmindedly. "Oh, I know! Have you been to the beach yet? It's really relaxing to listen to the waves and watch the tides."

"Actually I have. I went yesterday. Reese sent me seashell hunting for sand dollars."

"Oh..." Her demeanor suddenly drooped and she became disheartened at hearing this.

"But I could go again," I said quickly. "I was planning on going today anyway!"

"Are you," she asked. "I was thinking it would be nice to go with you sometime. But not while we're working of course! I was just thinking that if you happened to pass by the beach on your way to the post office, it'd be nice if you could bring me a seashell."

I was surprised at how much her passive-aggressiveness reminded me of my mother. Of course the beach wasn't exactly 'on the way. Being in the complete opposite direction of main street, there was no way I'd just 'happen to pass by it'. But unlike my mother, Isabelle truly wasn't asking for much.

"It's not a problem," I told her. "I'll be back soon!"

I made it a quick trip to the post office, only stopping to greet few neighbors on the way there. Hugh was quickly becoming my favorite as he bounded over to me just to say good morning. I was sorry I didn't write him a better letter and would have to make amends with a second letter if I had the time.

The post office was a small building that was easily missed, at least to me since I had missed it until it was pointed out to me. It was a brown building with red trim and a giant red and white placard of a letter hung in the front window. The inside was much simpler than any post office I had been in before. A service counter with separated the room in half. Behind it was a single work station and a log of packages. Two mail bags hung on hooks on the wall nearby. There was a cubby wall for sorting mail, and a cabinet with a lock for securing it.

The place was run by, or at least on the duty for current shift, was a courteous young woman named Pelly. She was a pelican and worked the day shift. Her older sister, Phyllis, worked the night shift. The mail was delivered by another Pelican, a man named Pete. As I would later find out, there was a bit of a love triangle of sorts between the three. Pelly like Pete. Pete liked Phyllis. Phyllis liked no one but she especially hated Pete because of his habit to stand outside her house in the middle of the night and stare at her through the windows. It was hard not to sympathize with Phyllis, to be quite honest.

Pelly kept her greeting brief and gave me a short run down on the postal services available. I could of course send letters and packages through the mail and the mail was delivered twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The post office also offered limited banking services but only in the form of the ABD machine, 'Automatic Bell Dispenser'. I could use it to deposit my bells, withdraw them when I needed them, and make payments to Nook's Homes. I thanked her for the information and made my way to the beach.

I decided to bring Isabelle a conch shell since it was one of my favorites. To my surprise, the first one I found wasn't exactly vacant. A terrified hermit crab gave me a fair fright in turn as it snapped its pincers and I immediately dropped it in the sand. It crawled off into the ocean seeming none the worse for wear. I gave up on bringing Isabelle a conch shell then and there and decided a sand dollar would be just as good. She was happy to receive it and as thanks, gave me a basket of fruit.

"My mother sent me a box of cherries! Our town fruit here may be the peach but in my hometown, it's cherries. She said I should share them because that's what good puppies do!"

"Aw, thanks Isabelle! You are a good puppy!"

She blushed in embarrassment before going on.

"Ahem. If you sell these to Re-Tail, you'll find that they'll pay much more exotic fruit then they will for local fruit. You could also plant them or eat them."

"I think I'd rather plant them," I told her.

Since they were from Isabelle's home town, I thought planting them and growing cherry trees might relieve her if she ever got home sick.

"Then you'll need a shovel. You can get one at the Nookling's shop. They might also have a fishing rod and bug catching net for sale, which is also useful."

"That reminds me," I interrupted, "about the museum. I want to get it up and running again. Can we have a budget for that?"

"Unfortunately, it's publicly funded," she said sheepishly. "Which means-"

"It's out of pocket."

So the museum didn't get money for its exhibits from any federal source. Instead, it relied solely on donations and my promise to Blathers was directly tied to my own wallet. Just how exactly did the former mayor run this town? How was it even running now was a bigger question.

"Don't worry, Mayor!"

"Every time you say that, I get something new to worry about," I told her, only half-joking.

"Fishing and bug catching is a popular and lucrative hobby here," she pointed out. "You could also donate your catches to the museum directly. And with a handy shovel, I'm sure you can dig up rare finds. So a take a peek in the Nookling Junction and if you have trouble finding anything, let me know."

"I find it highly unlikely I'm going to dig up a T-rex..."

I set off from the office again and to the Nookling's store.

"Welcome, Ms. Mayor," they greeted me in unison.

"Hello Timmy, hello Tommy."

I had no idea how to tell them apart but tried my best to greet them both.

"What are you looking for today," asked Tommy.

"Anything we can help you find," said Timmy.

"A shovel, a bug catching net, and a fishing rod," I listed off the items on my fingers.

I eyed the stationary but thought better of it with my limited funds. The twins brought me all three items and my grand total was a whopping 1,500 bells. So much for my plan of paying for the down payment so soon.

First things first, I went and planted the cherry seedlings I had gotten from Isabelle. I lined them in a neat row in front of town hall right where she could see them. As I worked, I thought maybe a town orchard wouldn't be a bad idea. The peach trees were scattered about indiscriminately, which I suppose was neither a good or bad thing but it made finding the fruit a guessing game.

Next, I set about using the net to do some bug catching. There wasn't exactly much to catch with it being the middle of winter aside from an unlucky pill bug and another hermit crab on the beach.

Then there was using the shovel to dig up a few weird spots I had seen in town. There were places where the soil had been clearly disturbed, patches of muddy brown against the white snow fields. All it netted me was a few weird rocks. I saved fishing for last but grew tired of the sport after the first hour. I hoped what I had hauled in was good enough and lugged it all in a cooler to the museum. Blathers was happy for my donations, not exactly with the bugs of course, but the fish were a welcome addition.

When I showed him the weird rocks, I expected him to only express a passing interest in them. Instead, his eyes went wide and he all but dragged me into the archaeology exhibit preparation room.

"Just a moment, just a moment," he said before I could even ask him what was going on.

He took the rocks and laid them on a white cloth on a table. Then with steady hands, he carefully began chipping away the hard packed dirt and brushing away the grime. His excitement was infectious and I was curious as to what he thought he found. All until his first excavation revealed what appeared to be eye holes. It was a skull. I had no degree in archaeology or even forensics but even I could tell a human skull when I saw one.

Blathers gasped as he continued his work, "it's a Peking man!"

"So do you call the cops or do I," I asked while backing away from the crime scene.

"No," he shook his head. "This is an amazing find!"

"Blathers," I scolded him for his nonchalance, "that's no way to talk about a murder!"

"Mayor, this is a fossilized skull of a direct answer of modern humans. A stupendous find! Priceless... I hope I can convince you to donate them for New Leaf's cultural development?"

I had to catch my breath and return my heart rate to normal first. Finding a skull, my first thought had been one of the more... red-diet proficient villagers had been a bit careless disposing of one of their meals. Learning that it was a rare fossil was even more unbelievable.

"You can have it," I told him.

"Hoo! Thank you very much," he said practically bouncing in place. "Of course I'll take very good care of it here. Oh, and let's not forget the others."

In the end, I donated everything I had found to the museum. Bathers gave me two pocket encyclopedias in return, one on fish and one on bugs, to keep track of what the museum needed. It was a good start, I told myself. If all it took was a little footwork, then I could certainly take care of the insect and fishing wings of the museum. That still left the art wing bare, which brought about a new concern. Fine art was expensive and hard to get a hold of. I would have to ask Isabelle if she had any suggestions for that as well. It hadn't escaped me that even though I was supposedly the mayor, she spent more time in Town Hall than I did.

"I might know someone who could help," she said when I tossed the idea to her. "He's a traveling art dealer. It might take him a few days to get here but other than that, getting artwork for the museum shouldn't be a problem!"

I knew art dealer was a fancy way of saying 'art seller', meaning I'd be alone in investing both time and money into the museum.


End file.
